Joshua Bell plays Union Station

Joshua Bell once performed a free concert in a Washington, DC, subway station. And hardly anyone stopped to listen. This episode is chronicled in a famous Washington Post article.

On September 30, 2014, Bell tried again. This time, a crowd did gather:

In the following videos, the gentleman in a medium blue shirt under the center pillar in the distance is Joshua Bell. Click on any photo for a larger view, or click the expansion box in the videos for a larger view.

First movement of a Bach concerto, for the impatient:

First movement of a Bach concerto, for the patient (partial):

Second movement of a Bach concerto, for the impatient:

Second movement of a Bach concerto, for the patient (partial):

Start of a piece by Mendelssohn, written when he was sixteen:

Here is a still photo of Joshua Bell in mid-Bach:

Joshua Bell, in a medium blue shirt under the center pillar in the distance.

Public events in the 20th century: a sea of portable digital phones with cameras:

Because of the crowd, I didn’t see Joshua Bell at all during the concert. It wasn’t until I got back to work and looked at the photos on my phone that I noticed the guy in the blue shirt — Joshua Bell.

Western Pacific dragons and other real creatures

About the banner

The legislative branch is undergoing some much-needed patching. To the right you can see the very tip-top of the Jefferson Building, part of the Library of Congress, behind the Capitol. Legislatives rarely go there.